Trying to understand Multi-Player (MP)...

[Guest byoung]

It seems to me that MP is limited. I have just scrapped the surface, but if you want to do an IFR flight from point A to B, it seems to me that you are disconnected from the FS environment. What would be the best process?(1) Interact with the MP session for ground and departure. However, you get sparcy gamer interaction, not always, depending on who's controlling. I watched last night, and some youth pilots were making dive bomp approaches, etc. It was kind of a hodge-podge.(2) Once airborne, open an IFR flight plan and let FS ATC do the controlling, until close to your destination, then log back on to MP and hopefully get setup for the approach.Like VATSIM, coverage is the issue. You could take off fly your route, and then the host has pulled the plug.From a hardcore simulator perspective, MP doesn't really provide the environment needed to do the procedures correctly. At least from what I have seens so far.Is it a fair assumption to say that the MP feature is more GAMER than SIMULATOR?I got one response from a person since going MP, they haven't flown single or solo since. He must be gamer oriented. The technology is cool (when GameSpy works properly).Just my two cents worth.

[Ramasurinen 0]

Your assessment is somewhat accurate, but you can't make a judgement on fsx multiplayer in a couple of days. Like all things FS, it's a sandbox, and some of the boxmates aren't going to run things how you expect or want them to. It really is what you make of it.There are good ATC controllers out there, and there are pilots who take things more seriously which seems to be what you're looking for. However, no one is getting paid to "work" in the ATC environment, and it is after all supposed to be fun. As you say even Vatsim doesn't have the coverage you want, and if they don't it's definitely not something you'll find in FSX multi. That said, with time, you meet some pretty amazing people, and run across those who tend to fly the way you do. Eventually your contact list gets pretty big and you start ending up in sessions with mostly known entities. The first couple of weeks is going to be a crapshoot.The only thing I can suggest is to let go of any real world expectations and see how it goes. You referred to me as a gamer (I was the one who responded to your previous post) and that's true, but I also love realism in games more than any other facet and that's what's kept me hooked on flight sim since version 2. But the real point at least for me in multiplayer is the chance to connect with others, and I take the good with the bad.I host my own session pretty much every other night, and I've gotten to know some pretty fabulous people from all over the world through FSX that I probably wouldn't have met in any other way. We share a common love of flying, and when I said that I can't be bothered to fly solo in FS anymore, it really is that enroute mental stimulation and camraderie that comes with time in multiplayer that I'm talking about. Why drone along on your own at 36000 feet staring at the FMC for hours on end when you can blast through the alps in formation, cracking jokes with a bunch of friends in F-18s. :) Even for airliner and procedure lovers there's the magic of shared cockpit, and mark my words, that is going to become a bigger and bigger deal as time goes on and FS aircraft get more complex. It's also a brilliant training tool.Anyway, please keep in mind this is the first time the entire demographic of FS users has been able to easily connect (vatsim appealing to a smaller portion of us) and that means there are going to be bugs, hiccups, and the occasional hissy fit. All par for the course in any multiplayer environment. :) I for one am very excited by this new multiplayer system, annoying bugs and all. It's good, and given some time to mature, it's going to be awesome.Cheers.Mike